Mint Green “94” or Florida Green “66”

[Fletcher]

What color is my 1976 02?

 

The seller called it Mint Green.  Which when I search for BMW color codes seems to be “94”.  Yet when I search for available colors by make/model/year, Mint Green isn’t an option and the color that looks close is called Florida Green “66”.  
 

Which is correct?

 

Thanks!

 

Edited July 27, 2020 by Fletcher
Included wrong image

[Laura]

Mint Green (officially "Mint Grun") is a proper 2002 color - that's what mine is, but mine is a '75 - so I dunno which colors were available in '76.  

 

I don't think yours is Florida Green- that's more of a pale pastel green than what your images show.  If yours isn't Mint, it could be Tiaga.  

 

If you look at the sticker for the car on the inside of the driver door panel (where there is the Vin, manufactur location etc,) sometimes they list the color there.

 

If you use some high-grid wet-sanding paper (like 800 grit+), you should be able to get rid of some of that oxidation and see the true color underneath, just be careful not to get to the primer layer.

 

[MitchaPaLoOza88]

Ya, Florida green is an early gen color. I don't think its that.

 

Send an email to info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com provide your VIN and somebody from BMW's historical group will get back to you with your cars color code from factory.

[Conserv]

2 hours ago, MitchaPaLoOza88 said:

Ya, Florida green is an early gen color. I don't think its that.

 

Send an email to info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com provide your VIN and somebody from BMW's historical group will get back to you with your cars color code from factory.

 

+1

 

Yes, start with the factory color -- which, as was pointed out already, could be Mintgrun in 1976, but could not be Florida in 1976 -- and proceed from there.

 

Laura's Taiga-metallic suggestion is good. My photo of a 1975 paint brochure, available on this iPad, shows it as available in 1975. I'm not certain if I have a 1976 brochure at home. A Taiga-metallic 1976, however, assuming the color remained available for 1976, would be very rare, at least in the U.S.

 

I'm going to be brutally honest, Fletcher, but that is a really sucky photograph you've provided! ?

 

Based solely on that photograph, I might say the current exterior color is not Mintgrun, and not Jadegrun or Amazongrun, two other square taillight era greens. Is it Taiga-metallic, which I view -- probably inaccurately -- as "the metallic version of Mintgrun"? Even if the car was Mintgrun or Taiga-metallic when it left the factory, that doesn't preclude an owner from painting it... British Racing Green, Shamrock Green, Kelly Green, or whatever. And most '02's, by now, have been re-painted. Thus the Archives report is not the end of the color discussion.

 

So... get the Archives report and give us some better photos. Does the inside of the trunk, or the engine compartment match the exterior color?

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[Mike Self]

As has been pointed out, Florida is out as a '76 color--a few '68 2002s made it to our shores in that color, but most if not all were overseas deliveries to military or diplomatic personnel and not through Hoffman Motors overseas sales.  

 

Presume you checked under the hood (near the VIN plate) to see if the factory paint sticker is there...if it's missing...

 

That leaves a few other greens that are plausible for a '76, presuming it's painted an original color.  If it's a metallic green, there are two-- Tundra (068) and Taiga (072).  A light, non metallic would be Mint (079), and a darker, non metallic would be Jade (078) and darker still, Amazon (076).  There are other greens listed in the parts book, but they were either never used in the US market, or are for earlier cars.

 

mike

[Fletcher]

@Conserv better?

 

it’s?arriving tonight.  I will see it (and drive it) for the first time in person then.  Pretty sure it’s Mint Grun at this point, but wanted to provide better photos ?

[esty]

yep Mintgrun and a not so common color

[AustrianVespaGuy]

Yeah the first pic was basically useless, but that last one leaves no doubt that it's Mint.  And fortunately for you, that's (IMO) not only the best green but one of the best 2002 colors period!   AND it goes really great with bottlecap wheels too! Here's my old freshened '76 Mint with bottlecaps:

 

Oh and I think the factory Glasurit paint code for Mintgrun was 079.

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by AustrianVespaGuy

[TodB]

Another thumbs up for mintgrun!

[Fletcher]

@AustrianVespaGuy & @TodB

both your cars look amazing!  I hope mine looks as good someday! ??  Thanks

[AustrianVespaGuy]

2 hours ago, TodB said:

Another thumbs up for mintgrun!

@TodB is that a respray that's a little off or just weird lighting? Looks much closer to Taiga than Mint to me in that picture.  I also ask because I know my current car's repaint in Mint came out slightly 'off' in that it has a touch more yellow/less blue than 'original' Mint, and I wonder if that's a recurring issue with *modern* paint formulations trying to match the *old* paint code.  At any rate @Fletcher, something to be aware if if/when you ever want to get your new car painted! Here's my current slightly-yellowish Mint car (also wearing Panasports nearly identical to Tods Rotas?):

The slight imperfection in the color isn't something that bothers me at all, but I do acknowledge it, so that others are aware the it CAN happen when painting.

[TodB]

2 minutes ago, AustrianVespaGuy said:

@TodB is that a respray that's a little off or just weird lighting? Looks much closer to Taiga than Mint to me in that picture.

Hi Carl. The pic is accurate. It is a respray that came out a little warmer then mintgrun, more of a dark taiga. Sort of similar to yours? Someday, we will get the two of them together!

[Conserv]

The modern formulations of Mintgrun are a bit more “peppy” and a bit less “minty” than the original formulations. So... as with many (most? all?) re-paints of 50-year-old cars, there’s a range of acceptable interpretations.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[Conserv]

8 hours ago, Fletcher said:

@Conserv better?

 

it’s?arriving tonight.  I will see it (and drive it) for the first time in person then.  Pretty sure it’s Mint Grun at this point, but wanted to provide better photos ?

Now that is minty! The color, not the condition!

 

(1976 California version, based on the three vacuum pods, 49-state versions only had two)

 

Congrats!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[John_in_VA]

It was suggested that the OP reach out to BMW Grouparchiv over five weeks ago.  Mystery would have been long solved!  Enjoy it!!